Main menu

Category Archives: Advice

I had hoped to do more blogging, but it takes time. Time which I could put towards writing, thus no updates for a few days. If you read nothing else, scroll down to the bottom for a great snack!

In general, I’m behind. I had a good run at the beginning, but the weekend killed me. My wife and I had something going on Fri night and Sat, so I didn’t get much in then. I ended up taking Sun off as well, which left me with 6,630 out of 10,002 that I really needed. Blah.

The last few days have been pretty good, though. I’ve gotten above the recommended daily goals with 2,200 Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday wasn’t as good, I got started late, and didn’t get a ton done before I got tired. I’m aiming to make that up today, though.

In other news, Scrivener for Windows is officially out now! If you can’t tell, I am a fan. I’ve used it since Dec of last year when they started the beta program. Go check it out here.

Lastly, a little advice. As I was writing the other day, I found that my leader of the elves character was more selfish and foolish than I had first imagined. Heck, he was just using my MC as a power play. 7 chapters into the story, and everyone but my MC knows what is going on and why he is there. I really feels sorry for him, although he is taking it in stride.

The story started to go in a direction that I hadn’t planned, and I was seeing possibilities. But, my MC still needed to know what was going on, even if the ruler was an idiot. The ruler is the one to tell him, or take him to the right person. That is sill in process. So, I had to rein things in a bit, and pull the “Author” card, and nudge them in the direction I wanted them to go. So far, it working.

So, that advice? You are the writer, they are your characters. Yes, they take on characteristics that you didn’t know about before. They change as you go, sometimes. But, you are the one who is directing them. Use those quirks that come out, and let them work for you. You, as the Author, are ultimately in control of the story. Or, if things get really out of hand. You can always clean the slate and start with a new character. My ML did that with a gas explosion that killed everyone. See? You are in control.

One last thing. You need to have a snack for NaNo, right? Here’s one I like. I don’t know where we got it, so I can’t attribute it to anyone, sorry.

Chocolate Mug Cake

1 Coffee Mug

4 T. plain flour

4 T. sugar

2 T. baking cocoa

1 egg

3 T. milk

3 T. oil

3 T. chocolate chips

splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to the mug. Mix well. Add egg, mix. Pour in mil & oil, mix. Add chocolate chips & vanilla, mix again. Microwave the mug for 3 minutes. The cake will probably rise over the top, but don’t worry about it. Allow it to cool. If you want, tip it out onto a plate and enjoy. (I usually leave it in the mug, myself.)

On #MyWANA the other day, I mentioned that I put my draft of my WIP on my iPod. There was some interest in that, so I thought I’d give you some ideas on how you can do that. I’m saying up front that this is more of a technical article, akin to Patrick Thunstrom’s TweetDeck series (check them out if you want to use that program at all, good stuff). You’ll need to be somewhat familiar with your computer and its programs. In short, there are 2 ways: the easy, and the not as easy way. So, if you want to take the plunge, read on!

Yes, I know everything will be fine. I’m not crying though, I promise!

#MyWANA is a Twitter hashtag that I saw flutter by on the Twitter-sphere today. It was started the other day by @KristenLambTX with this post on her blog. Go take some time to read it, as she explains it much better than I will.

So MyWANA is a place for writers to gather and encourage each other on, with the idea that through the hashtag, a community for discussion is formed. My is the possessive my. That is MY book, not yours. The rest stands for: We Are Not Alone,

The process of writing is a very lonely process. Ideally, there is no distraction, which means there aren’t others around that you are talking with. So, most writers aren’t around other people. So if we want to communicate with others, and there is no-one around, that makes it hard. That is why the internet is so useful, specifically Twitter. You can go on, search for the hash tag, and now you can communicate with others in (semi) real time.

Now, I know there are other hash tags for writers: #amwriting are #writing are two that I know and use sometimes. So, I don’t know what the difference is with these and #MyWANA, other than the name. In any case, there is a community forming there. Hopefully you’ll find me there sometimes.

Share this:

A review of a book came across the Twitter-sphere today. That in itself isn’t remarkable. What is remarkable is the response of the author of the book.

The short version is that the reviewer said he liked the story, but that it had grammatical errors. The author took this the wrong way, and ended up giving the reviewer a piece of her mind. She claimed that he had the wrong version (it appears he didn’t) and more. When it came down to it, though, she insulted the reviewer and the other commenters. She demanded that the review be taken down, as well as told commenters to… well… “Go Away” in not so nice terms.

I feel sorry for this lady. In one day, she has managed to destroy her reputation. This whole fiasco went viral on Twitter. She won’t have much luck in the future. And in truth, the real troll in the whole thread of comments was her. There were some others (as you will get when something like this happens), but the majority were people telling her to be quiet for her own good. She should have listened to the criticisms. They are given for a reason. As the reviewer said, the story was good. It was the grammar that made it hard to read.

So, to my family and friends, please destroy my pens, paper, computers and whatever else if I ever do that. It is not professional, nor useful in the long run.